Exclusive: Bridal Designer Pnina Tornai Is Collaborating with Naturalizer on a Footwear Collection

Say yes to the shoes.

Footwear brand Naturalizer is giving brides another reason to celebrate with its latest collaboration, this time with Israeli bridal designer Pnina Tornai.

The partners will create two collections featuring memorable shoes for the entire wedding party, uniting Tornai’s luxurious aesthetic with Naturalizer’s comfort capabilities and size and width options.

“I chose to partner with Naturalizer because of their incredible technology that allows shoes to be comfortable for all-day wear,” said the designer. “After having my own wedding shoe nightmare, I know how important it is to have a pair of shoes that can take you from your getting-ready moments to the last dance of the night.”

Their first collection is set to debut for spring ’23 and will feature nine styles, including looks for the bride, bridesmaids and wedding guests, plus shoes to take along on the honeymoon. The diverse range includes mules, platforms, heels and flats in a palette of whites, nudes and metallics, with unexpected color pops from the designer’s favored Pnina Pink shade.

Tornai said she will infuse many details from her bridal and jewelry collections into the footwear, such as voluptuous bows and lace patterns, plus broaches, encrusted straps and glass heart charms. Additionally, rosegold and glitter outsoles will be used on the couture styles.

“Your shoes should be both beautiful and comfortable on your big day so you can enjoy it to the fullest,” said Tornai.

With the top-performing bridal brand at Kleinfeld’s, Tornai is perhaps best known from the TLC reality series “Say Yes to the Dress,” which films inside the New York bridal salon and is now in its 21st season. She also has a partnership with Jared for a jewelry line. But the collaboration with Naturalizer marks her first commercial footwear collection (she previously has created only bespoke, custom shoes for clients).

Meanwhile, Naturalizer has been upping its collab game of late. For spring ’22, the comfort brand, owned by parent company Caleres, launched a sustainable shoe collection with designer Tracy Reese and her eco-friendly Hope for Flowers label.

But this latest union is its first collaboration in the bridal space, a category it entered two years ago and that has become a key strategic growth target, according to SVP and GM John Malpiedi.

“We have focused our design talent and innovation team on creating elegant styles with Naturalizer’s iconic comfort for brides, bridesmaids and guests. As we have been growing this category and continue to receive thousands of 5-star reviews, we set our sights on innovating the category even further,” he said. “Pnina Tornai’s fantastical designs, authority in the category and incredible fame globally make her the perfect partner.”

The Pnina Tornai for Naturalizer collection is expected to deliver to stores in April 2023, with retail prices ranging from $165 to $300. In terms of distribution, the brand is targeting current wholesale partners, but also will use the opportunity to expand into the bridal boutique channel.